Step 9: Be Aware of How You Use Your Body and Your Voice

In this anxiety recovery step, I wanted to talk to you about slowing things down.

I’m not just talking about slowing the pace of your life down. I mean slowing YOU down.

This may not be an issue for you personally, but a lot of people with anxiety disorders are fast people who are always moving in one way or another. We talk fast. We walk fast. We think fast. We quite often breathe fast. Our overall “mode” is just at a faster pace than everybody else’s.

It’s interesting because I have noticed that a lot of people with anxiety disorders are chronically late people…I am one of them…..and it makes me wonder why we are always late when are usually moving at a pretty good pace. I have a feeling it has something to do with how efficiently we are using that fast pace of ours but I suppose that is a post for another day.

The point is that we move too darn fast and too darn much and our brain interprets this as meaning there is a reason we don’t feel secure enough in our surroundings to slow down and let ourselves be still.

Our brains are logical. Our brains believe that if we are safe and nothing is threatening our well being, why would we be talking fast and moving fast and breathing fast? If all was good, we wouldn’t be doing any of those things. We would be nice and relaxed…maybe not ALL the time…but at least most of the time. Since we are very rarely in a relaxed state, our brains assume there is a reason for it and help keep us in that keyed up state of ours in a misguided attempt to help us along.

Its a never ending cycle and the only way to break free from it is to slow yourself down and show your brain that you are relaxed and you are safe. We have got to start using slower, calmer, more relaxed body language whether it comes naturally to us or not. Our brains want so much to trust that our world is safe so that they can stop working so hard to protect us, but they are never going to fully believe it until our thoughts AND our bodies are both sending that message.

Start paying attention to your over-all “pace”.

Are you a fast talking, fast moving fidgeter? If so, make a point to work on slowing yourself down.

Its not easy, I know. Believe me, my baseline speed setting is HIGH, and I can’t even sit down to watch a TV show without my foot bouncing a mile a minute. It can feel like a real chore to always have to be monitoring my pace and the speed at which I am living my life and to maintain that awareness of my movements. But in all honesty, it really does make a difference in how my day goes, and in my overall feeling of control and calm when I do maintain that awareness and focus on keeping myself running slower and more still.

Think of the people you know who you would describe as being cool and calm and self assured and in control. What is their body language and speech like? My brother is one of the calmest people I know and he is also one of the slowest talkers/movers I know. I can’t recall ever seeing him gesture….ever. And fidgeting? Nope. He is just overall a very still person. Is he a still person because he is naturally calm? Or is he naturally calm because he is a very slow moving person? Or maybe its a little bit of both. But regardless of the exact cause/effect relationship, being slow and still and being relaxed go hand in hand.

If, like me and 90% of the other people with anxiety disorders, you weren’t naturally born that way, do not worry. You may never have the body language and slower speech of Matthew McConaughey and that’s okay. We are who we are and we are awesome! But you can make huge strides and see big changes in your own anxiety levels if you just stay aware and put in some practice time and make even small changes in these areas.

As you work on the rate of your speech, also pay attention to the pitch and noise level of your voice.

A high-pitched, loud voice is yet another thing that tells you brain there is danger and if that is the type of voice you are using all day long, your brain is going to find it very difficult to believe you are relaxed because our brains have evolved to react to high-pitched tones with urgency.

Why?

A big part of the reason is babies.

Babies communicate their need to eat and their feelings of pain, with a high-pitched wail. And our brains are designed to react swiftly and urgently to that wail. It is nature’s way of ensuring our little ones are well taken care of.

But adults also tend to go louder and up in their higher pitch registers when something is upsetting to them or frightening to them. If we are speaking in a loud higher pitched tone, our brains were designed to pay attention to that and respond accordingly. Because of this, in a very primal way, our brains associate pretty much ALL loud high-pitched tones with something urgent going on and some action needing to be taken.

Look at police sirens and fire alarms and your local weather emergency sirens. It is the sound that gets our attention the most and gets our brains attention the most. On the contrary, deep slow tones are what lull us and make us feel secure and safe and relaxed. One of the best things about grandpas is that they makes us feel so safe with their slow, deep pitched voices. 🙂

Think about the sound and pitch of your own voice and the sounds of the voices and noises around you all day. Are they soothing or stimulating? What are they saying to your brain about the state of your environment. Are they telling your brain to keep its guard up, or that it can relax because all is good in your world?

Check out this video and see if you are using your correct pitch and if not, make a focus to start using it on a regular basis!

Remember, when you move slowly and speak calmly and slowly, your brain thinks all must be good.

Show your brain your world is safe and good, and it WILL stop the putting out the adrenaline that contributes to a lot of your anxiety symptoms. You will lose the constant state of over-sensitization you are in and you will stop over-reacting to everything.

Disclaimer

I am not a doctor or a psychologist. I am somebody who has an anxiety disorder who is sharing my personal beliefs about anxiety and what worked for me in my recovery. None of the advice I give is meant to replace or be taken as medical advice. It is always best to have your symptoms diagnosed by a medical professional. You should know ALL of your options before you decide on the best way to manage your anxiety. The advice I give in this blog is not intended for those whose anxiety stems from post traumatic stress disorder, Bi-Polar Disorder, those with moderate to severe depression, severe agoraphobia or those whose anxiety has been diagnosed by a professional as having a medical cause. This blog is intended for those adults living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder.

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Thank you,
Lisa Scott
TheWorryGames.com

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